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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · stock · racket · snap · saw · cold · pound · lean

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — goods
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. snap — to click
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cold — not warm
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cold — an illness
  23. key — in music
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com